Inside a 1913 Thanksgiving Postcard from Wessington, SD

Today I’m stepping into Thanksgiving 1913 by way of a single postcard mailed from Wessington, South Dakota. It’s a small, ordinary object, but it quietly holds an entire holiday inside it: the imagery, the people, and a moment in time someone thought was worth sending through the mail. I’ll start with the front of the card, the turkey, the harvest, all that autumn color, and then flip it over to meet the two women connected by this note. Along the way, this one divided back postcard turns into a simple record of how people shared joy, memory, and celebration with each other over a century ago.

Key Takeaways

The 1913 Thanksgiving postcard from Wessington, South Dakota serves as a historical snapshot, capturing the essence of a specific holiday moment and the emotions tied to it.
The postcard's divided back format highlights its place in postcard history, allowing for a visual focus on the autumn scene while conveying a personal message.
The imagery of the turkey and harvest on the front emphasizes the Thanksgiving theme, symbolizing abundance and seasonal celebration.

Discovering a 1913 Thanksgiving Postcard from Wessington, South Dakota

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When I say I like to “step into” a past holiday, this is what I mean: a single 1913 Thanksgiving postcard from Wessington, South Dakota that drops us straight into that specific day. It’s not just a random old card. It’s dated, postmarked from a real town, tied to a real moment, and it lets us imagine what that holiday looked like for the person who sent it and the person who received it.

Physically, it’s a divided back postcard, which is typical of the 1910s. That detail matters because it tells us exactly where we are in postcard history: the message and the address share the back, and the image fills the front. On this one, the front is a bold autumn scene, and that’s the first thing your eye lands on before you even think about who wrote it or where it was going. The format and layout anchor it firmly in the postcard world of the 1910s.

Wessington, South Dakota is printed there as the origin, so this isn’t just a “vintage Thanksgiving postcard” floating in space. It’s a Wessington, South Dakota postcard, tied to that specific place in 1913, carrying a Thanksgiving message out into the world. The 1913 date, the Thanksgiving theme, the autumn scene, the divided back format, and the Wessington origin all come together to make this a very clear snapshot of its time.

The card I’m talking about lives at stereoviewvault.com, and that’s the exact piece I’m using as my reference point. When I say “this 1913 Thanksgiving postcard” or “this Wessington South Dakota postcard,” I mean that specific object, with that autumn scene on the front and that divided back on the reverse, preserved there as a small, very concrete window into Thanksgiving 1913. If you enjoy this kind of material, it sits alongside other vintage postcards that work the same quiet kind of magic.

Seeing the Thanksgiving Scene: Turkey, Harvest, and Autumn Color

On the front, the turkey is the star. It’s the central image, the thing your eye goes to first, and everything else is arranged around it. You can tell that was intentional: this is the Thanksgiving bird presented as the main event, the visual shorthand for the whole holiday.

Around the turkey, the card builds out a harvest scene. That framing ties the bird to the season, not just the meal. The turkey and the harvest sit together as one picture of plenty.

Put together, it’s a strong autumn scene. The color, the full harvest, and the turkey in the middle all work together to say “this is Thanksgiving” without needing any extra explanation. The imagery is directly tied to the holiday and its seasonal symbols, so when someone in 1913 pulled this out of their mailbox, they weren’t just seeing a bird and some crops, they were seeing how Thanksgiving was pictured and shared at that time, in one compact visual.

Reading the Message: From Flo Gearhart to Miss Bertha Nugabau

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Turn the card over, and everything narrows down to two people: Miss Bertha Nugabau and the sender, Flo Gearhart. The postcard is addressed to Miss Bertha Nugabau, and the note is written by Flo, so right away we’re looking at a specific relationship, not just a generic holiday greeting.

Flo’s note comes across as personal in what she chooses to write about. Instead of talking about travel or the weather, she writes to Bertha about a past holiday, grounding the whole message in shared memory. She specifically mentions “a joyful holiday gathering,” which tells us this 1913 Thanksgiving correspondence isn’t just about that particular day on the calendar. It’s about looking back to a time the two of them had already experienced together.

So when I talk about the message on this vintage postcard, it’s not just the front image that matters. It’s this small, heartfelt line from Flo Gearhart to Miss Bertha Nugabau, using a simple card to reach back to a joyful holiday gathering they both remember and pull that feeling forward into the present of 1913.

A Joyful Holiday Remembered: What the Note Reveals About Thanksgiving 1913

At its core, this postcard is someone reminiscing about a joyful holiday gathering, not just reporting that Thanksgiving happened. You can feel that the writer is looking back, replaying the scene, and choosing to send that feeling along with the card. Calling the gathering “joyful” hints at warmth and closeness, the kind of day that sticks with you long enough that you want to mention it later.

The card is doing two things at once: it’s a greeting in the present and a shared memory at the same time. The writer isn’t just saying hello; they’re reaching across time and distance with a snapshot of Thanksgiving memories 1913, turning this early 20th century holiday gathering into one of those personal stories on Vintage Postcards that carries a roomful of people and feeling in just a few lines.

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How Divided Back Postcards Show Early 20th Century Communication

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If you step back from the handwriting for a second, the card itself starts to tell you something. This card is a divided back postcard, and that alone already says a lot about early 20th century communication. The back is literally split to hold both the address and a personal note on the same side, which was typical of the period. When I say it reflects the era’s communication habits, this exact format is part of how people in the early 1900s were used to sending quick, everyday messages. So this one postcard isn’t just a single object from the 1910s postcard culture, it’s a small snapshot of divided back postcard history and how people actually wrote to each other at the time. It sits in the same broader world as other vintage print media that carried short, practical, and often very personal messages.

Why Vintage Thanksgiving Postcards Are Windows Into Early 1900s Life

Vintage Thanksgiving postcards really do work as windows into the past, and this one from Wessington, South Dakota in 1913 shows why. When you hold it, you’re not just looking at a picture and some old handwriting, you’re looking at something that reveals personal connections and traditions that deepen our sense of early 20th century life.

You need both sides together for that. On the front, you have the holiday imagery, created for early 1900s Thanksgiving traditions and meant to instantly signal the season. On the back, you have a written note that ties that image to a real person, in a real place, at a specific moment in Wessington, South Dakota 1913 life.

That combination is where the “window into the past” idea comes from. The artwork shows how Thanksgiving was being pictured and celebrated in the culture at large, while the message shows how one person was actually experiencing it and who they cared enough to write to. When you read the card as a whole object, image and message together, it reveals personal connections and traditions in a way a photograph or a written record on its own usually doesn’t. If that kind of layered glimpse into everyday life appeals to you, it sits comfortably alongside early 1900s stereoview cards and vintage photographs that do similar work in different formats.

So when I talk about vintage postcards as windows into the past, this is what . A single Thanksgiving postcard from Wessington can open up early 20th century Thanksgiving traditions, everyday communication, and a bit of the emotional texture of 1913 life, just by paying attention to both the visual holiday imagery and the handwritten note that traveled together on that small piece of card.

Closing

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This Thanksgiving postcard from Wessington pulls together artwork, a short handwritten message, and the practical design of early 1900s mail into one quiet little window on everyday life. In it, we see not just a holiday scene, but a relationship, a memory of a joyful gathering, and a reminder that even the most ordinary pieces of mail can carry far more than ink and paper. It’s a small thing, but it deepens how we see Thanksgiving, and how people stayed connected, over a hundred years ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the 1913 Thanksgiving postcard significant?

The postcard serves as a historical snapshot, encapsulating the essence of Thanksgiving in 1913, complete with imagery and emotions tied to the holiday. It provides a tangible link to the past, showcasing how people shared joy and celebration through such simple objects.

How does the divided back format of the postcard contribute to its historical context?

The divided back format allows for a clear separation of the image and the message, which was typical of postcards from the 1910s. This design choice not only highlights the visual appeal of the autumn scene but also indicates its place in postcard history.

What imagery is featured on the postcard?

The front of the postcard prominently features a turkey, surrounded by a rich harvest scene that symbolizes abundance and the Thanksgiving theme. This imagery captures the essence of the holiday, conveying a sense of seasonal celebration without needing additional context.

Where can I find the specific postcard mentioned in the blog?

The postcard referenced in the blog resides at stereoviewvault.com, where it is preserved as a concrete window into Thanksgiving 1913. You can explore this postcard along with other vintage postcards that evoke similar nostalgia.

How did the postcard convey personal connections between people?

The postcard carries a personal message from Flo Gearhart to Miss Bertha Nugabau, illustrating how people communicated and shared their thoughts during that time. This personal touch adds depth to the historical context, showing the importance of connection through correspondence.